Sports ramblings…with a Yankees bias!

Results tagged ‘ Brad Childress ’

I’d like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year!I hope that 2010 is our best year yet…one and all!It’s hard to believe that 2009 has come and gone, and it was quite a year.However, I am anxious and excited for the possibilities of 2010.Who knows if the Yankees will repeat or if the Phillies will recapture the crown thanks to Doc Halliday or if the Mariners move into the upper echelon with the brilliant moves to acquire Cliff Lee and Chone Figgins or if the dreaded Red Sox ride John Lackey and company to another championship.Regardless of what happens, it will be a very fun and exciting year for all of us. Who knows, maybe next year is this year…

Not much sports news to talk about but I’ll try…

I think that Jason Bay’sdecision to join the Mets was foolish on his part.He had a great thing in Boston, and the park was very conducive to his offensive style.It’s unlikely that he’ll hit 36 home runs playing half of his games at CitiField.Given his weaknesses defensively and the poor second half that he experienced in Boston, the high expectations in Queens will be very difficult to meet.Bay could very easily become the player the fans love to hate.In an era where most of us are simply thankful for a paycheck, Jason will rue the day that he disregarded the very generous offer extended by the Red Sox.From the Red Sox’ perspective, I don’t blame them for moving on. The idea of moving Jacoby Ellsbury to left is intriguing given his offensive prowess (so long as he doesn’t move to San Diego in a potential trade for Adrian Gonzalez).Not that I want the best-case scenario to work out for the Red Sox, but it may have happened when they decided to move on without Bay.Meanwhile, it probably won’t be long before GM Omar Minaya is fighting for his job because of moves like Bay and other albatross contracts he has hung on the Mets.

Reuters

I was not closely following the situation with Texas Tech University and head coach Mike Leach, but at first, I thought that Craig James was just using his position as an ESPN college analyst to blow a situation with his son out of proportion.However, after getting a better understanding of the facts, there is nothing that would justify locking a kid in a shed.Regardless of the reasons and aside from the fact that Leach had been very disrespectful to the university prior to the incident, I felt his firing today was justified.The sad part is that it is the university which will pay the highest price.Leach will land on his feet with another school because he has proven that he can win.The Red Raiders, meanwhile, will have to re-establish credibility with potential recruits and find a new coach who can continue the positive advancements made by Leach.Any way you slice it, it’s a bad situation and a black mark on Big 12 football…

AP

I am a very disenchanted Vikings fan right now.I have been a fan of the team all my life.After enjoying several near misses with Fran Tarkenton at the helm, the team has suffered years of championship deprivation.1998 looked like THE year, however, the season ended in disappointment with the loss to the Atlanta Falcons in the play-offs (a game that the Vikings could have won with better play-calling).I almost gave up as a Vikings fan after Fran Tarkenton retired and the Vikings named Bob Lee the starting QB.I know other fans who quit after 1998.I have to admit that I am nearing the fork in the road once again.I have never been a fan of head coach Brad Childress and now the team is in a funk that I am not so sure they can recover from.Sure, 8 Vikings made the Pro Bowl.However, it means absolutely nothing if the Vikings lose the first play-off game.Several weeks ago, they were assured of a first round bye and had momentum on their side.Now, it’s possible that they could lose the first round bye to the Dallas Cowboys.There are many experts that say the two best teams in the NFC right now are the Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles.It would be hard for me to argue against it.

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

I recognized football before baseball when I was a kid, so for the first couple of seasons, I was a bigger Vikings fan than I was a Yankees fan.Of course, that turned rather quickly and I was a baseball fan first by 1975 even though the Yankees had endured many losing seasons under the ownership of CBS.George Steinbrenner was still a young and inexperienced owner, but I liked the guys on the team.Catfish Hunter was my idol and Thurman Munson quickly became my favorite Yankee.Nevertheless, I continued to follow the Vikings but it has never been the same since former owner Max Winter departed the organization.I like and respect owner Zygi Wilf, however, I think he is making a mistake by staying the course with Brad Childress.The 2009 team has so much potential, however, it won’t be realized because of Childress.Put a good coach like Bill Cowher in charge of the team and the Vikings would be challenging the Saints for the best record in the NFC.

Puskar/AP

The Vikings can turn things around on Sunday with a solid win against Wilf’s former favorite team, the New York Giants.However, I am not so optimistic about the team’s chances.Somehow, I see another lackluster performance with several key Adrian Peterson fumbles.I hope that I am wrong…

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Well, this does it for me in 2009.I am glad to be among such great MLBloggers and I look forward to a fantastic new year for each and every one of us!

After tonight’s games, the Yankees may or may not be in first place, but at least they started the day that way.Of course, the last time I was excited about this was at the start of the last series with the Boston Red Sox.That didn’t end so well for me, and a pink hat and a Red Sox shirt later; the Yanks were back chasing the Sox in the standings.

Once again, thanks to a series sweep of the Minnesota Twins, combined with a Red Sox loss last night, the Yankees were once again tied atop the AL East Standings with Boston (despite the 0-8 mark against same).

Associated Press

The Yankees open a weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim tonight.Of all the teams I want to face right now, the Angels aren’t one of them.For whatever reason, the Yankees have historically not done very well against the Angels.I don’t know the exact stats off the top of my head, but it seems that the team loses more than it wins against those pesky Halos.I’d like to say that this dates back to the 2002 play-offs, but it has been much longer than that.I remember teams with Bobby Grich, Rod Carew, and Reggie Jackson giving the Yankees fits.

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You can’t say that the Angels’ mastery over the Yankees is because the team doesn’t match up very well against the Angels.If you compare the starters of Game 4 of the 2002 American League Division Series in Anaheim on October 5, 2002, only Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada remain with their original team (you could consider Juan Rivera but he has switched sides). The Yankees lost that night, 9-5, effectively ending the Yankees’ most recent World Series run.But despite the roster turnover, the Angels’ domination continues.

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I wish I understood the reason, but the Yankees did to figure out the Angels if they want a chance to return to the World Series.

I know, they also need to figure out Baltimore and Boston.But one thing’s for sure, they know Minnesota!

For the record, the Red Sox won tonight, so pending the Yankees game against the Angels (which starts shortly), the Sox are up by a ½ game.Why is it that Boston gets the Royals while the Yankees get the Angels?It’s so not fair!;)

I thought the New York Mets’ acquisition of Jeff Francoeur from the Atlanta Braves for Ryan Church was a solid move.I realize that Francoeur has struggled the last couple of years, but I still think that the “light bulb” will eventually come on and he’ll be every bit the productive player that he showed in Atlanta when he first came up.

I still think that there’s no way that either the Red Sox or the Yankees will trade for Roy Halladay.Both teams have done such a great job protecting their young talent in recent years, and it would “break the bank” to bring Doc to Boston or New York.They’ve mentioned the Philadelphia Phillies as the front-runner and I agree with that, or perhaps the St. Louis Cardinals.I’d like to see the San Francisco Giants become a player but I don’t think they have what it takes to make a deal.A starting rotation led by Tim Lincecum and Halladay would be incredible, and would definitely be a major roadblock in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ attempt to crush the NL West.

Tony Avelar/AP

Luc Leclerc/US Presswire

I am definitely in agreement that the question is ‘when’ Brett Favre joins the Minnesota Vikings, not ‘if’.He has apparently placed a $30,000 deposit on a condo in Edina, Minnesota.I am sure that he didn’t do it just so he could go ice fishing this winter. The Vikings’ single-game tickets go on sale July 20th, so an announcement could be forthcoming prior to that date. I don’t think it is the right move and I think that Vikings coach Brad Childress will be forced to play Favre the entire season regardless of how he performs.There would be a huge stigma attached to the coach who “sat” Brett Favre.It’s really shaping up to be a ‘lose-lose’ scenario…

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